"Patience (noun): The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious". It doesn't matter how the dictionary defines it, or how we decide to define patience, it is clear that patience involves waiting, and not the type that involves anxiety, intolerance or a rush to solve situations by our own means. Patience involves accepting or working with what life throws your way and realising that the process of waiting is just as important as the final outcome. And perhaps it is in the waiting process where we learn to see ourselves for who we truly are - as sinners in need of a Saviour. But patience isn't just about how we deal with situations, it isn't just about learning to understand who we are, it is also about how we relate to others and the quality of our relationships. Are we willing to see others as we see ourselves, as sinners in need of a Saviour? I was talking to a friend recently and she remarked: "You know, I used to think I was a really patient person. But then I moved in close to where a relative is living and we began to spend more time together, and now I realise I'm not so patient". The Bible says in James 1:2-4: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you mar be complete, lacking nothing". It's hard to deal with difficult situations, or to have to relate to people who may test our patience. But the Bible is clear that while these experiences are not easy or joyful, we are to count them as positive opportunities for growth, because the result of the testing of our faith will bring the fruit of patience and make us more complete in Christ. May the trials of this week make you and I patient and reliant upon our Saviour. God Bless, Pr Leticia. Thought for the week...We wish to thank...This week we wish to thank the leaders in our Sabbath school departments. Adult Sabbath School classes and the Children's Sabbath school classes function so well because of the commitment, organisation and passion of our leaders and teachers within these areas. May God continue to bless your efforts for Him :)
0 Comments
Many years ago I came across the following poem by the renowned speaker and author Pr H.M.S Richards, which went something like this: The Lord has given to every man his work. It is his business to do it and the devil’s business to hinder him if he can So surely as God has given you a work to do, Satan will try to hinder you He may present other things more promising, he may allure you by worldly prospects, he may assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending your character, employ pious persons to lie about you, editors to assail you, and excellent men to slander you. You may have Pilate and Herod, Annas and Caiaphas all combined against you, and Judas standing by ready to sell you for thirty pieces of silver; and you may wonder why all those things come upon you. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craft of the devil to draw you off from your work and hinder your obedience to God? Keep about your work! Keep about your work, that God has given you. Do not flinch because the lion roars; Do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs; Do not fool away your time chasing the devil’s rabbits. Keep about your work! Let liars lie, let corporations resolve, Let the devil do his worst; But see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work that God has given you. Keep about your work! He has not commanded you to get rich. He has never bidden you to defend your character. He has not set you at work to contradict falsehoods about yourself, which Satan & his servants may start to peddle. If you do those things, you will do nothing else. You will be at work for yourself & not the Lord. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Keep about your work! You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded, and rejected; You many be abused by foes, forsaken by friends, and despised and rejected of men. But see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, That you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of your being until at last you can say: “I have finished the work which you gave me to do!” Hope you are blessed by it. Pr James. Thought for the week...Wall of FameOver 60s Luncheon Photos. Photo credits: Sau :) Ladies in Touch Photos. Enjoy! We wish to thank...This week we wish to thank those who led in organising the Over 60s luncheon and who participated and enjoyed in this special time together. Thank you Sau, Amanda and Shirley for all your work as social committee leaders and willing helpers :). Finally, thank you to those who led and organised our Ladies in Touch gathering on Sunday. We would especially like to thank Delys and Shirley who did a great job of sharing a health presentation and wowed us with their cooking demonstration. Authenticity often is described as the quality of something or someone being real and genuine. It's not a copy or an imitation, but an original version. In my lifetime I've come across some authentic Christians- and what I've noticed is that they're honest and real, not only about their strengths, but their struggles too. They don’t hide behind masks, and while they desire to grow in Christ, they don't pretend to be perfect- they just let themselves be seen for who they are and for whose they are. In the book of 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul invites us to live lives that are transparent, genuine and honest. For example, he reminds the believers of Corinth that they are epistles “known and read by all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Then a few chapters later, he invites the believers to follow his lifestyle in Christ, being open as he is open. He also reminds them that in view of the grace they have received they are to live their lives for Christ rather than for their own desires (2 Corinthians 6). If this is the counsel and example we have, why do we conceal our struggles and fears in church? Why are we less than honest about where we really are in our relationship with God? Is it shame, fear of rejection or criticism? Whatever our reasons may be for a lack of vulnerability, let’s remember that living authentically in Jesus is not about ‘having it all together’. It’s about admitting you don’t, while pointing people to Jesus, the One who will never fail us and can turn our messes into messages, our trials into triumphs, our sorrows into joy. Let’s strive for an even better church, where we welcome honesty, we embrace authenticity and we are not ashamed to share our struggles as well as our victories. Will you accept the challenge and live authentically for Him? God bless, Leticia. Thought for the week...We wish to thank...This week we wish to thank our elderly folk who give of their wisdom, time and experience to making our church a better one. Sometimes we may forget the elderly in our church, but this week we want you to know that your wisdom and experience does not go unnoticed and your reliability and promptness in church attendance and involvement is very much appreciated. In the book of Galatians we find a people who, having once experienced and celebrated the gospel message, begin to turn away from it. Somehow the message they heard from false teachers seemed more appealing to them than the simplicity and unchanging beauty of the gospel. The gospel was not enough; they wanted something different. But in turning from the gospel, they weren't simply turning away from a message- they were turning away from a person (Galatians 1:6-7). Are we guilty of the same sometimes? Are we guilty of turning our eyes from the simplicity of the gospel, burying Jesus under false ideas, conspiracy theories, and perhaps unbalanced slants of doctrine? I will never forget that a long time in an unnamed church where I was preaching for the day, a well- meaning lady said to me, “Oh, I’ve heard this before!” I had talked about God’s love and forgiveness, something I’m sure she HAD heard before. But the implication of what she was saying is that, because she’d heard it before, it was no longer new or relevant. It had become to her a message that she deemed ‘too basic’. Really? Too basic? The gospel message is not basic- it’s everything. One writer put it this way: “Hanging upon the cross, Christ was the gospel. This is our message, our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer"[1]. Today I choose to believe in the “simple” message of Jesus. Will you? Take care, Leticia. Thought for the week...Wall of FameHere are some photos from our Regional Day on August 1, 2015. Photo credit: Bill Belson. We wish to thank...This week we wish to thank our youth leader and his team. They are working hard to get some youth programs up and running and we wish to thank them for their prayers, friendship and support of our youth. Please keep the youth in your prayers as we seek to minister to them and encourage them in the faith. Keep the leaders in your prayers as well. |
AuthorPr James + Archives
November 2015
Categories |